and one of the greatest defeatings or auoydings as the Lawyers say of any proces is if iudgemēt haue been prooued or done without deliberation And therefore the Prouerbe sayth See that you take good deliberation in iudgement 10. The deed that 's done by good aduice doth alwayes firmely stand And seldome seene to craue amendes at any second hand Be ruled by counsaile euermore whatsoeuer thou dost intend And from thy side let neuer goe thy faythfull aged friend The Paraphrase THe Marques in this Proueth concludeth two things The first is the effect that followeth when a thing is done with good deliberation and brought to passe by good aduise and counsaile the seconde is whose aduise and coūsaile in our doings we ought to follow Touching the first Solomon in his Prouerbes saith The determinations of a man neuer come to good where counsaile is not afore had The deuises that are executed by good aduise are alwayes perfect good And Seneca saith Do al thy things by good aduise thou shalt neuer repent them For a man not taking coūsaile nor aduise in that which he intendeth it is not possible for him that he should foresee the errours that he shal fal in And falling therein for want of good foresight counsaile it must needes be that he must repent himselfe and say I had not thought so great a mischiefe woulde haue folowed And as Valerius writeth that Scipio of Affrica was wont to say It was an euill fauoured a shameful thing for a man in any matter especially in such as belong to a man of warre to say I would not haue thought it For such things as are to be done with the sword ought well to be thought of before For the errours that in warres are cōmitted can neuer as Scipio saith be amended And as Vegetius in his booke that he made Of the knowledge of the Warres affirmeth There is no other reason to be yeelded why the Romanes did subdue the whole worlde conquered wheresoeuer they came but because they did al that they did by great deliberation aduise being verie skilfull well trained in such things as belonged to the warres For what saith he was a handful of poore Romanes to the infinite numbers of the Frenchmen or what could so slēder a power preuaile against the great forces puissance of the Germanes Certaine it is that the Spaniards were more in nūber and of greater strength force thē were the Romanes They were alwayes behind the Affricanes both in wealth policies And no mā doubteth but the Greeks were farre beyond them in grauitie wisedom Yet alwayes did the souldier of Rome preuaile because of his skill being continually trained daily exercised in the warres For there could nothing hap in any skirmish or battel wherew t they had not long time afore been acquainted Certaine it is as the Prouerb saith that that which is done by deliberation cōmeth not to craue amendment at the second hande and that from this counsaile and aduise the olde stager ought neuer to be shut out For as Aristotle sayth in the first of his Ethickes The yong man by reason of his small experience can haue no great knowledge in anie matter and therfore not able to giue anie good coūsaile And beside in his booke of Rethorike In mans affaires and actions the thinges that haue passed be cōmonly like to the thinges that after happen and as the young man hath had no experience of such thinges as haue happened before so can hee neuer bee able to iudge of the things that shall after fal out therefore the auncient mē are alwayes able to giue better counsaile And therefore Roboam the sonne of Solomon for taking the aduise of yong men and refusing the olde and expert fellowes did verire worthily forgoe tenne partes of twelue of his kingdome as shal hereafter be more at large declared And though young men are by reason of strength and lustinesse more able and fitte for the fight than are the olde men yet as Tullie in his booke of Age saith The great and notable exploites are neuer done by force nor agilitie of body but by counsaile aucthoritie secresie And among the principal causes that we reade why Alexander had alwaies the victory and the better hand it was the chiefe that he went alwaies accompanied with graue auncient counsellours For as Trogus Pompeius in his eleuenth booke writeth That Alexander whensoeuer he was in any iourney of great daunger he neuer called to counsel nor made priuie to his doinges the young and lusty Gallantes but the olde expert souldiers that had folowed the warres with his father and with his vncle whom he vsed not so muche for souldiers as for gouernours And it is saide that those whom he put in his battailes were commonly of the age of threescore yeeres vpwarde to the entent that none of them should thinke to run away but to ouercome and trusting more to their handes then their feete shoulde set their whole mindes vpon the victory And when diuers of his old souldiours desired him that they might depart to rest and refreshe them selues offering him their sonnes that were young and lustie to serue in their places It is saide that he answered I had rather to haue about me the well experienced grauitie of aged men then the frowardenesse and vnaduised rashnesse of young men And thus did Alexander attaine to whatsoeuer he desired and was in all his doinges honourable and vertuous because he neuer suffered as the Prouerbe sayeth The olde man to depart from his side 11 So long the common wealth of Rome Did floorishe strong and glad As they their aged senatours At home in honour had But when that Tirantes once began To rule and beare the sway They neuer any conquest made But lost from day to day The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth and prooueth by good example and greate experience of thinges before passed That which before he declared that as long as the Romanes gaue credit to the aduise and counsaile of their aged Fathers so long they prospered and did well and when they once ceassed so to doe their honour presently ceassed and came to nought They were gouerned in those dayes by a certaine companie of men called Senators which woorde and name commeth of the Latine woorde Senex which signifieth aged In what sorte and by what meanes the Romanes prospered is plainely declared by Iudas Machabee in the first boke of the Machabees where he saith The Romanes by their wisedome and sober behauiour possessed the whole worlde and ouerthrewe the Princes that rebelled against them and made Tributaries Galacia and Spaine subdued and overcame the king of the Persians and Antiochus the king of Asia hauing in his company a hundred and thirtie Elephants sacked al their cities and made Tributarie vnto them all their Dominions and brought into subiection al the countries rounde about them as wel farre as neare
vpon him to suffer most cruel death for our saluation And to pay as Esay saith The price of our redemption Also by the Scriptures wee know what other benifites soeuer the Lord hath doone for vs Beside the scripture teacheth vs how we ought to loue God with al our hart with all our minde with all our forces that we ought rather to die a glorious death then to offend him with a sinfull life this he meaneth when he saith The dreame is forgottē quite that soone thou shalt forgoe For our life is compared to a sleepe which we shal leaue before we be aware as Innocentius saith in a booke that he wrote of the wretchednes of the state of man where he hath these words Tel me my brother what goodnesse doest thou finde in these worldly delights What doeth thy glory profite thee What doeth thy pleasures auaile thee These be not they that can deliuer thee from death nor defend thee from the wormes For he that late was lustie and glorious in his Pallace lieth nowe dead and stinking in his Sepulchre he that late was tickled with the delightes of the bed lyeth nowe torne a sunder with the wormes in his graue What meanest thou to be proude being but wormes meate and ashes Why moylest thou for riches that shall shortly be distributed to the poore As the Prophet saith They slept their sleepe those that were lately riche haue nowe nothing in their handes There true wisdome knowledge of God and skill in the scripture bringeth vs to this vnderstandyng by this a man knoweth how to serue God not regarding this transitorie life which passeth as a sleepe or a dreame 14. To Gentlemen it doeth belong To knowe the artes diuine Where knowledge chiefly floorisheth And learning best doeth shine Assuredly he well deserues To haue the vpper seate That garnished with wisedome is And deckt with learning great IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth what maner of men ought to seeke for learning and vnderstanding and for the better vnderstanding hereof we must consider that there be artes Mechanicall and arts Liberal Artes Mechanical are those that are vsed by men of base condition as Shoemakers Taylours Carpenters Smithes and all other that are handicraftesmen Arts Liberal are those learnings and sciences wherunto liberal or free men that is noble men or Gentlemen applie them selues as the seuen Liberal sciences therfore they are called liberal or free that bestow their time in these knowledges because they be not of base minde nor estate neither are they subiect or bounde to anie vyle occupation And therefore in the olde time there were none brought vp in learning but onely the children of noblemen and Gentlemen and therefore saith the Prouerbe To Gentlemen it doeth belong to know the artes diuine That is to say to suche men as are of good estate and condition Traian as Policrates in his sixth booke writeth who was a Spaniarde and Emperour of Rome in a letter that he writeth to the Frenche king perswadeth him to bring vp his children in the knoweledge of the liberall artes saying that a kinge without learning is like an Asse with a crowne therefore the kinges and Emperours in the olde time did commit their children to the best learned men that they coulde get Traian was brought vp with Policrates The emperor Nero with Seneca great Alexander with Aristotle To whom as Policartes in the forsaid booke saith King Phillip vppon the birth of his sonne Alexander wrote his letters in this sort Phillip the king sendeth greeting to Aristotle the Philosopher I vnderstande that I haue a sonne borne for which I geue thankes to the Gods not so much for his birth as that he hapned to be borne in thy time by whom I trust to haue him so brought vp that he shal be woorthie to succeede me in my kingdome and dominions The Prouerb saith further That he deserueth preheminence that is garnished with wisdome and learning And assuredly looke what difference there is betwixt perfection and imperfection and betwixt darknesse and light so great is the diuersity betwixt a learned man and an ignorant because we should vnderstande what great honour he deserueth that is beautified with learning and wisedome both Daniel in his seconde vision and S. Ierome in his preface to the Bible doe witnesse that the learned and the wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and those that haue instructed many in godlynesse shall glister like the starres for euer and euer And therfore great preheminence doeth he deserue that is garnished with wisedome and learning 15 The head and spring of goodnesse al Is wisedome that doeth shewe The meanes for to discerne the trueth And vertue pure to knowe Who so beginneth in his youth In vertue to delight No doubt but when he comes to age Will leade his life aright The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth that one of the principall causes of wisedome and knowledge is to feare God as Salomon in his prouerbes saith The beginning of wisdome is the feare of God and wisedome knowledge the foolish doe abhorre and therfore he saith That wisedome is more woorth then the weapons of the mightie of greater value then precious stones more fine thē pure gold For by wisedome we are able to discerne betwixt good and euill betwixt vertue and vice to which ende leauing to speake of the doctrine and rules of the holy Scripture whereby we are taught to flee from all sinne and wickednesse and to embrace and followe vertuousnesse Aristotle hath written three bookes In the one of them he entreateth of the rules and orders that are requisite for the guiding of a countrey and citie which booke is called the Politiques In the other he sheweth howe a man ought to gouerne his house his wife and his children this booke is called the Aeconomikes The thirde teacheth how a man shoulde gouerne him selfe wherein there is a medlie of rules obseruations by which a man may knowe the vertuous and discerne and seuere them from the vices And specially in this booke he sheweth that all maner of vertues are gotten by vse and custome and that a man by vsing a long time to liue vertuously it commeth at length to bee naturall vnto him and although a man be naturally enclined to vice yet yf he accustome him selfe to vertue he shall leaue his euill inclination and become vertuous And this is it that the Prouerbe sayeth Who so beginneth to liue well in his youth it is a signe that he shall not doe amisse in his age But it is not one vertuous act alone that can be called a beginning as Aristot saith no more then can one swallow shew a spring And the greatest presumption by which we may cōiecture as Aristotle in the second of his Ethickes sayeth whether a man shall proue vertuous or no is the pleasure or the heauinesse that he taketh in his
is betweene Loue and Friendship because I will make no long processe I leaue here to speake of Of all which both Aristotle in his eight booke of his Ethickes Tullie in his booke of Friendshippe and Seneca in his nienth Epistle do largely and thorowly discourse I should also here declare how we shoulde behaue our selues in getting of friendes and hauing once gotte them howe to continue them Whereof Seneca intreateth in his 3. Epistle whyther for auoiding tediousnes I referre the Reader 2. Who can assoile the man that 's dread from care and deadly feare If any reason minde or witte in him that dreads appeare Esteeme and thou shalt be esteemed for feare is to the sense A griefe that cannot be exprest a deadly pestilence The Paraphrase IN this prouerbe the Marques his minde is to prooue by natural reason that which he hath written in the former prouerbe that is that men ought to be gētle and eurteous in their conuersations and that they ought not to doe anie thing by force or feare but rather by loue and gentlenes He also setteth down the inconuenience that foloweth to him that had rather be feared then loued saying Who can assoyle the man that is dread from care and deadly feare c. For if he that feareth haue not altogether lost his discretion and vnderstanding he wil not feare him that he feareth For he may esily vnderstand that he that liueth in dread will seeke by all the meanes to be deliuered of him that he feareth For feare as Aristotle saith in the 3. booke of his Ethiks is a continuall looking for the harme that shal happen According to which such as feare others do continually looke to receiue harme at the handes of those whom they feare or to escape the euill that they looke for They imagine how they may preuent in doing of euill them of whom they thinke to receiue euill And therefore in the speache that Thyestes the Sonne of King Pelops hath with his sonne Philistines where his sonne requireth him to forsake the place of his banishment and to come and gouerne and liue together with his brother Araeus as Seneca sheweth in his seconde Tragidie where Thyestes doth shew the reasons that moueth him rather to liue in a poore estate then to be a man of greate place authority saying While I liued in princely state and maiestie I was neuer free from fearing of those that feared me yea and many times I was afraide of the very sword that hung by mine owne side least in the ende I should come to be slayne with it And afterwarde Oh what a great happines is it not to be feared of anie to sleepe soundly vpon the grounde and to eate in safety the meate that is prouided Poison is presented in golden cuppes meaning that it is not geuen to the poore labourer that drinketh in earth or wood but to great estates that drinke in golde geuen by those that feare them and by such as they haue good cause to feare And therefore Tullie saieth in his booke of Friendship that in the life of Tyrantes which be such as gouerne by force and feare more then by loue there can be neither faith loue nor stedfast friendshippe To the Tyrant all thinges are suspicious and euerie thing ministreth vnto him occasion of sorrowe and care And it followeth Who can loue him whom he feareth or him of whō he knoweth he is feared With this agreeth that which Boetius in his third booke of Comfort writeth that such as are guarded with men of warre stand in dread of those whom they seeme to make affraide And therfore wel sayth the Prouerbe That feare is a deadly griefe vnto the sense Which is verified as well in the person that feareth as in him that is feared It is written of Dionisius as Boetius in his 3. booke of Comforte witnesseth that hee was a great Tyrant and such a one as by tyranny and crueltie subdued many countries and did manie harmes and mischiefes who as he sought to gouerne by tyrannie and force it is most like hee was rather feared then beloued It is written that a special friende of his comming to see him told him that he had great cause to thinke him selfe happie in that he had atteyned to so greate and so hygh estate as hee was in Dionisius made no answere at all but bad him to dinner where ouer the chaire where his ghest should sit he caused to be hanged by a verie smal thred a weightie and a sharp pointed sword in such sort as his friend being set the sword hung directly ouer the crowne of his head so as if the thred brake it was sure to run thorow him thus caused him to sitte down to dinner who al the while that he sat sweat for feare least the thread breaking the sword should fal vpō him destroy him Dionisius caused him with sundrie dishes to be deintily and delicately serued the borde being taken vp he asked his ghest if hee had not pleasantly dined Who answeared him what pleasure coulde I haue at mymeate seeing the swoorde by so small a stay hanging ouer my head and still looking for the losse of my life whensoeuer the thred should breake Loe saith Dionisius such is the life of all tyrantes who for the mischiefes and tyrannies that they have doon and for feare of those whom they haue offended and wronged doe liue continually in feare and in dread and doe looke euerie howre for eyther death or some great danger touching the which I haue made a more large discourse in my Commentaries vpon the Prouerbes of Seneca in the Prouerbe that beginneth He that alwaies feareth is euerie day condemned To the which because I wil not be long I referre the reader since the Marques hath well concluded in this Proueth where he sayth Esteeme and thou shalt be esteemed meaning that it lyeth in thine owne power to be feared or to be loued and that feare is a deadly grief to the sense of which euerie man will seeke to ridde him selfe with as much speede as he may 3. Great Caesar as the stories tell most cruelly was slaine And yet the woorthiest conquerour that in the world did raigne Who on the earth so mightie is that when he is alone Can of himselfe doe any more then can a seely one The Marques CAesar most woorthie prince he that is heere mencioned was called by the name of Iulius and of others Caius the selfe same that passed the Rubicon against Pompey as Lucan writeth in his booke of the Ciuill-warres who after the death of Pompey and Cato triumphing with great pomp in the citie of Rome and taking into his handes the common treasurie behaued himselfe with such pride and outrage towarde the Citizens that they coulde by no meanes abide him and as his hautinesse was thought of them intollerable they conspired to kill him which treason of theirs they did no long time delay The chiefe of this conspiracie were
well doing For if he be ioyfull take delight in the vertuous actes that he doeth it is a token that he wil proue well in his age and be verie vertuous But if he goe about them with an euill will and seeme to take no delight therein it is a signe that his vertues will not long endure And therefore as the wise man sayeth By the pleasauntnesse and heauinesse of a child in his youth we shall easily ghesse what he will be in his age 16. That most renowmed Solomon for wisedome chiefely sought Whereby his Empire and his state to order good he brought He gouernd of himselfe alone and neuer did debate Nor counsaile callde for anie thing that longed to his state The Paraphrase AS it is written in the thirde Booke of the Kinges Solomon the sonne of Dauid after the death of his Father was chosen to be king And the first thing that euer he did because he would lay a good foundation he went to a hie Mountaine that was neare about him called Gabaon to offer sacrifices to the lord And that night the Lorde appeared to him in his sleep and said vnto him Aske what thou wilt that I may giue it thee And Solomon sayd Thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant Dauid my father great mercie in that thou hast giuen him a sonne to sit vpon his seate and to succeede him in his kingdome And now O Lord my God it is thou that hast made thy seruant king in stead of Dauid my father and I am but yong and know not how to goe out and in and thy seruant is in the middest of thy people which thou hast chosen and verely the people are so manie as can not be tolde nor numbred for multitude Giue therefore vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding hart to iugde thy people that I may discerne betwixt good bad And this pleased the Lord well that Solomon had desired this thing And God said vnto him Because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked long life neither hast asked riches nor the soule of thine enemies but hast asked vnderstanding and discretion in iudgement Beholde I haue done according to thy petition for I haue giuen thee a wise an vnderstanding hart so that there hath been none like thee before thee nor after thee shall anie arise like vnto thee This storie serueth here for this Prouerbe that sheweth how Solomon sought chiefly for wisedome by which without debating of anie matters or calling of any counsaile hee was able sufficiently to gouerne his kingdome and dominions 17. If thou be eloquent great praise thereof to thee will rise But much more commendable it is to be discrete and wise For he that wisedome hath will all his life obedient be Vnto the rules he learned hath in sweete Philosophie The Paraphrase THe Marques here sheweth in this Prouerbe what is the marke that a man ought specially to shoote at and sayth that although it be a goodly thing for a man to be eloquent and to haue a good tongue yet it is a great deale more worthie praise to be wise Eloquence is a fine and sweete kinde of speaking by the pleasantnesse whereof it draweth men to the opinion of the speaker The figures and rules whereof are set foorth by Tullie in his Rethorike And if this eloquence be ioyned with wisedome and knowledge it is a speciall ornament but if a man haue more wordes then wit he shall be counted a vaine iangler and a pratteler And therefore sayeth Tullie That farre better is wisedome voyde of eloquence then foolish pratteling without discretion Wisedome among all the moral vertues that Aristotle in his Ethicks intreateth of is the most principall vertue or rather as he saith the onely vertue meaning that all the vertues are chained and linked together in one And therefore the Philosophers commonly say that whosoeuer hath one hath al. For if he haue one vertue he must needes haue wisedome thorowly he that hath wisdome thorowly hath all vertues therefore hee that hath one vertue hath all vertues Wisedome as the Philosophers say consisteth of three partes the first is memorie to remēber such things as hath passed the second knowledge to know such things as are present the thirde prouidence to foresee such thinges as are to come And he that hath these three partes may be counted wise and a seruant obedient to morall Philosophie For as I sayde before wisedome conteineth in her selfe all morall vertue And as Aristotle sayeth It is a thing vnpossible for a man to bee wise and not to be good And therefore the Prouerbe sayeth The wise man is all his life obedient to morall Philosophie 18 Roboam being one that had no skill but did assay In euerie thing to striue against the streame did soone decay For vexing and molesting of his subiects kept in thrall Whē least he look'd for such a change they quite forsooke him all The Paraphrase of the Marques ROboam was the sonne of Solomon and King of Israel who after his fathers decease did vse such tyrannie ouer his subiectes that verie woorthily hee was depriued of the moste parte of his gouernment The Doctour TO proue the harmes and mischiefes that he that wanteth wisedome runneth into the Marques here bringeth in the Storie of Roboam the sonne of Solomon Of whom it is written in the thirde Booke of the Kinges that after the death of Solomon the people assembled togither to make him King and spake vnto him saying Thy Father made our yoke grieuous nowe therefore make thou the grieuous seruice of thy father and his heauie yoke that he put vpon vs lighter we will serue thee And hee sayde vnto them Depart yet for the space of three dayes and then come againe to mee And the people departed And King Roboam tooke counsaile with the olde men that stoode before his Father while hee yet liued and sayde What counsaile giue you that I may haue matter to aunswere this people And they sayde vnto him If thou be a seruant to this people this day and folow their mindes and answere them speake gently vnto them this day they wil be thy seruants for euer But he forsooke the counsaile that the olde men had giuen him and called vnto his coūsaile yong men that were growne vp with him and waited on him said vnto thē What coūsaile giue you that we may answer this people And the yong men that were growne vp with him answered him saying Thus shalt thou say vnto the people My little finger shall bee weightier then my fathers whole bodie and where as my father did lade you and put a grieuous yoke vpon you I will make it heauier At which words the people greatly disdaining ten tribes of them presently forsooke him and chose Ieroboam for their king Wherby is concluded that Roboam because he was not wise nor aduised nor carefull to preuent such mischiefs as might happen ouershooting himselfe shamefully in his foolish answere was worthily
great griefe and mourning bewailed his offence Hee committed adulterie with the wife of Vrias who was mother to Solomon for the which greeuous offence the Lorde was more offended with him then for all that euer hee did as is to be seene at large in his life The Doctour SExtus Tarquinius was the sonne of Tarquinius the King as Liuie in the first of his Decades writeth The like is affirmed by Saint Augustine in his boke of the Citie of GOD Valerius Maximus and many other auncient writers No lesse was Lucretia famous for her vertue then was this Tarquine to be abhorred for his wickednesse Amongst many that haue written of the woorthinesse of this Ladie none doeth so greatly delite me as M. Iohn Galensis in a booke that hee wrote of the foure principal vertues whō I only determin to folow His words as I haue translated thē out of the Tuscan tongue are these Well woorthie of immortall and euerlasting remembraunce is the noble vertuous Lady Lucretia Who refusing to liue any longer did rip out the stain of the villany and violence done vnto her with the death of her owne person The maner wherof S. Augustine telleth in his boke of the citie of God saying that Sextus Tarquinius came with Collatinus the husbande of Lucretia to a house of his called Collatinū where they found Lucretia vertuously disposed amongst her maidens and women the only Paragon of her time most commended of all others was this Lucretia Whom when the sonne of Tarquinius king of the Romans had throughly behelde he was presently inflamed with disordinate and wicked loue towardes her whereuppon within a fewe dayes after accompanied only with one man he returneth vnknowne to Collatinus vnto the aforesaide place where he was honourably entertained and receiued of Lucretia who made him great cheare and lodged him according to his estate supposing that she had had her friende and not her enimie in her house Tarquinius being now a bed al a fire with the flames of beastly desire perceiuing that they were all fast a sleepe in the house taking his swoorde in his hande leapeth out of his bed and goeth directly to the chamber of Lucretia whom he founde fast a sleepe where laying his hande vpon her brest he said vnto her Lie stil Lucretia I am Sextus Tarquinius yf thou makest any noise thou shalt die for it Wherewithall the Lady beeing with great feare awaked and seeing no succour about her nor any waye too escape death Tarquinius beginneth to disclose vnto her his great affection and somtime with faire woordes intreating her and sometime againe terribly threatning her assaieth all the waies that he can deuise to bryng her to graunt to his desire But when he saw that she was by no waies to be remooued from her stedfast and chaste minde and that the terrour of death coulde nothing preuaile he casteth about againe and thinkeeth to boorde her on an other side and saith vnto her I will tel thee what I will doe if thou wilt not consent vnto me I wyll first kill thee and afterwards kill an euil fauoured knaue that I haue heere in the house and laye him in bedde with thee whereby it shal be reported to the worlde that thou wert taken in shameful and filthie adulterie And with this feare he ouercame the chaste minde of the vertuous Ladie and hauing obteined his desire with great disdaine departed Wherewith the poore Lucrecia beeing now ouerwhelmed with sorowe and pensiuenesse for her great and greeuous mishappe sendeth with al speede possible to her father her husbande and all other their friendes at Rome earnestly desiring them to come vnto her with as muche haste as they coulde VVho when they were come Lucrecia all heauie and sorowfull in her bedde at their entring into the house fell into a great weeping and when her friendes began to salute her and to bid her bee of good comfort Alas quoth she What comforte can there be to a woman that hath lost her chastitie and lookeing stedfastly vppon her husbande shee cried out and saide O Collatinus the feete of a straunger hath been in thy bed But I sweare vnto thee of a trueth only the body is defiled for the mind was neuer consenting and that shal my death presently declare And therefore I require you all to shewe your selues men and not to suffer this horrible act to remaine vnpunished Sextus Tarquinius was he whom I receiued not as an enimie but as a supposed friende who hath this laste night depriued me and you also yf you be men of al ioy VVhen shee had vttered these wordes they all beganne to comfort her and to tel her that her offence was nothing beeyng forced and constrained thereunto and that where there was no consent there coulde be no offence VVhereunto Lucrecia replied and saide As for that looke you to those thinges that concerne your selues I though I dooe cleare my selfe of beeing guiltie of any offence yet doe I not discharge my selfe of punishment There shal neuer chaste woman take occasion to be euyll by the example of Lucrecia And with these wordes plucking out a knife that she had secretly hidden and thrusting it to her hart she fell downe dead whereat both her husbande and Brutus her father makyng great lamentation presently drewe out the knife out of the wounde being al stained embrued with blood which knife Brutus takyng in his hande sware to reuenge the iniurie and the death of his daughter and to destroy both Tarquin the king his wife and his children either by fyer by swoord or by al the waies that he might and neuer to suffer any of the kindred to reigne in Rome VVith which he gaue the knife to Collatinus and so from one to another Whereby this mourning chaunged into wrath and desire of reuenge they all made promise to folowe Brutus and taking with them the body of Lucretia they brought it to Rome and laide it in the middest of the market place to the ende that the horrour of so strange a facte might stirre vppe the people to reuenge it At the sight wherof the people were straight in armes and folowing Brutus they thrust out of Rome Sextus Tarquinius who after miserably died in prison 4◠No lesse was worthie Scipio Commended for the deede That from his chaste and worthie mind Did worthily proceede Then for his valiant manly actes Esteemed in his daies By which he to his Countrey got A neuer dieyng praise The Paraphrase of the Marques COrnelius Scipio as Valerius rehearseth in his thirde booke hauing taken the Citie of Carthage was tolde by his souldiours that in the sacke of the Towne there was taken a young maiden of woonderful beauty great parentage who was affianced to a Gentleman of the nobilitie which as soone as he vnderstoode he commaunded that the Damsel her husbande and her parentes should be brought before him and caused the young maide safe and vntouched to be deliuered vnto them
commit themselues to no hasard nor danger wherby they are vncapable of any vertue or honor For Honor as Aristotle in the fourth of his Ethicks saith is a reuerence that is giuen to men in rewarde and recompence of their vertues And therefore the Marques saith That whosoeuer is so valiant as not to regarde his life in any vertuous attempt shal be sure to receiue the crowne of Mars that is the renowme rewarde of a vertuous minde which he shall quickly attaine vnto if he represse feare And where as there are in the vertue of Fortitude two extreames or vices the one in ventering to farre the other in fearing to much the Marques hath not here said If thou restrainest boldnesse as hee sayeth If thou abandonest feare because as Aristotle in the thirde of his Ethicks affirmeth and as dayly experience teacheth the nature of man is more inclined to fearfulnesse then to boldenesse and therefore those that seeke to bee valiaunt and vertuous ought more to trauel in the repressing and abandoning of feare then in the restraint or temperaunce of boldenesse And therefore to good purpose sayeth the Marques in this Prouerbe If thou abandonest or forcest feare and not corrage and because as it is sayde abooue it is in euery mans power and will to bee vertuous it is heere well saide of the Prouerb Thou shalt not want the honour nor the state thou seekest to beare 57. Detest an euill life that 's led with foule reproch and shame And alwayes ready be to dye with honorable name For life cannot be lent for loane nor let from day to day Nor can the appoynted houre bee shund nor skaped any way The Paraphrase THE Emperours did in their lawes carefully prouide for the behoofe and good estate of their Subiectes to sette downe rewardes and encouragements for such as were honest and vertuous and to deuise punishments and corrections for suche as were wicked and euill disposed And it is very wel thought as hath been saide before that such as valiantly lost their liues either in defence of their faith or for the libertie of their countrie are rewarded with euerlasting life or if any man dye in the defence of his owne honesty he shall continually be well thought of and commended But such as cowardly forsake the feelde and run away from the warres the lawes haue appointed to dye and are accounted for wretches and villaines whether they dye or liue and their shameful and reprochfull life is more griefe to them then any death that can bee deuised especially an honest death this is the meaning of the Prouerbe Detest an euill life c. For as Aristotle in the 3. of his Ethicks saith A man is borne to honor libertie which two things we ought alwaies to keepe and maintaine and to couet by all meanes we can to diehonestly to liue vertuously The Prouerb saith further that life can not be borrowed For as Iob sayeth The Lord hath rated the dayes of our life which can not bee lengthened And therefore no man may shunne the appointed houre that God hath determined And herevpon ariseth the tale among the Poets of the three sisters of destinie whereof the one of them called Clotho carieth the distaffe the other named Lachesis spinneth and draweth out the threede which the thirde sister Atropos windeth vppe vpon the reele And as Seneca in his first Tragedie sayth These three sisters are so cruell and hard that it was neuer seene that the threede which they had once wounde vppe could euer bee got backe againe These sisters of the Destinie doe signifie in deede the posting time of our transitorie life whereof the day once past can neuer be called backe againe And therefore sayeth Seneca these three vnliberall Ladies doe rule by assured order and may neither shorten nor lengthē otherwise then is appointed Therefore ought euerie man to applie himselfe to die well since the time of his death can by no maner of meanes be altered 58. King Codrus rather chose to haue the conquest then to liue And neuer did his noble minde refuse his life to giue To saue a valiant companie of such as him did serue The life is alwayes well bestowed that doth such praise deserue The Paraphrase COdrus beeing as both saint Austine Valerius report the king of Athens when as he was to fight with Pelops duke of the Lacedemonians and had answere of his Idols to whom he sacrificed that the side whose captaine was slaine should haue the victorie preferrin glike a worthie gentleman the liues prosperitie of his poore subiects farre aboue his owne apparailing himselfe in a base and simple habite and rushing into the thickest of the enemies was presently slaine Of whom Virgil writeth that he chose rather to die with the victorie then to liue with the ouerthrow 59. Take no delight to heare thy deedes commended to thy face A thing that wisedome alwayes hath accounted for disgrace And if thou doest reprochfull wordes of anie man sustaine It is no commendation to to report the same againe The Paraphrase VNder the vertue of Fortitude is takē and included all maner of vertuous and godly actions that are done without respect of praise For a man ought not to look for the praise of the people as a recōpence for his good deed and specially if it be done in his owne presence which for two causes is to be disliked The one because that glorie nor praise is no perfect recompence or rewarde for anie vertue For as Boecius sayeth Praise or glory is nought else amongest the multitude but a tickeling and bewitching of the eares The other reason is that praises and commendations before the face doth rather seeme a kinde of flattering and clawing then a praise The Prouerbe saith further That if thou doest reprochfull wordes of any man sustaine It is no cōmendation to report the same againe The meaning of it is that no man that is of great minde or courage ought to speake of the iniurious and euill words that hath been offered him but shall rather bee counted both wiser and valianter if he dissemble them and seeme not to wey them as it is writtē in the third booke Of the liues of the Philosophers where a Philosopher being railed at and reuiled made this answer Thou quoth he hast learned to speake euill and I haue learned to make no accompt of lewd speech And more is he to be commended that beareth euill wordes then he that offreth them 60. Likewise the praising of thy selfe thine actes and speciall grace Doth neuer thee aduaunce but all thy doings doth deface For if the deedes that here thou dost be onely done for praise An errour great thou dost commit and walkst the croked wayes The Paraphrase SOlomon is his Prouerbes sayth Let a stranger cōmend thee and not thine owne mouth And Cato saieth Neither praise nor dispraise thine owne doings for thy praise in thine owne mouth is a great disgrace vnto
grauitie and authoritie of such auncient men then he did of the vnexpert actiuitie and strength of those couragious and lustie gallants For age is onely it that maketh a man wise and woorthie of reuerence Neither ought anie man to mislike it since it is the thing that euerie man desireth And as Tullie in his De Senectute sayth As the fruite is not in season nor to be eaten till it bee perfectly ripe no more is man to bee accompted in his wisedome and perfection till such time as hee bee olde for then is hee onely come to his ripenesse though as the fruite is hee bee nearest his corruption For then as the Prouerbe sayeth he gouerneth c. The fourtienth Chapter of Death Suppose thou not at any time that death is farre from thee But alwayes thinke that he is nie and streight at hande will bee great madnesse were it for a man to thinke this foolish life Should euermore continue with such miserie and strife The Paraphrase SEneca as hath bene said before sayth in his second Tragedie that no man could euer yet haue the Goddes so fauourable that they might be able to assure themselues to liue till the next day For although we bee most assured that we shall die yet is neither the houre nor the time of our death certaine but rather if we consider the great daungers and casualties that our wretched life is subiect vnto wee ought euerie houre yea euery moment to looke for it according to the warning of our Sauiour who willeth vs to watch and pray for we knowe not the day nor the houre of our visitation And therefore as the Prouerbe sayeth it is a great follie to thinke that Death is not alwayes at hande that he shall not as he came into the world goe out of it For as the Apostle sayeth there is a lawe ouer all flesh that they shal once die Valerius telleth vs in his fifth booke that when there was woorde brought to Anaxagoras that his sonne was dead Hee answered the messenger that it was neither newes nor a strange thing that hee tolde him but that it was such as he alwayes loked for For hee knewe that there was nothing could come from him that should liue for euer and that it was a generall matter that whatsoeuer receiued the spirite of life must agayne restore it and that as no man died but that first he liued so no man liued but at last he died And therefore well saieth here the Prouerbe Greate madnesse were it for a man to thinke this foolish life c. 98. If it so were the blessed ioyes that we doe hope to see Should all in vayne and to no end of vs desired be Ne shoulde the glorie great of that almighty Lorde on hye Our Sauiour Christ be looked for that lasts continually AFter that our first Father had transgressed the commaundement of God our life became straight to bee subiecte to death and fulfilled with all kindes of calamitie and miserie For as the Apostle sayeth Through the offēce of our first father Adam wee are all borne the children of wrath And neuer shall we be without trouble griefe and miserie during our mortall life untill suche time that our soule bee free and deliuered from the dungeon of the bodie And this maketh the Apostle to saie I desire to be loosed and to be with Iesus Christ For the Apostle being vexed with many sorowes griefes and miseries desired to be dissolued to the ende he might rest from all his trauayles and Saint Iohn in his reuelation saieth Blessed are all those that die in the Lorde for they shall rest from their laboures So as by a good and happie death wee are sure to be made partakers of the euerlasting glorie of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ 99 Then tel me wherfore should we feare this death why should it grieue Since that it is so good a lot if that we doe beleeue That after our departure here we goe to perfect rest Attending for the glorious day wherein we shall be blest The Paraphrase DEath as Aristotle in the thirde of his Ethicks sayth is the last of al horrible dreadfull things which being as Tully in his Tusculans sayeth a thing that naturally happeneth we ought not to thinke that it can be euill since nature hath appoynted it And Seneca in his Epistle to Lucilius sayeth that life is geuen vnto vs with condition to looke for death The path is playne and assured that leadeth vnto it and to dye well is to die willingly And therfore death is neuer to bee feared of those that bee good and vertuous But of the wicked the Psalm sayeth The death of the vngodly is hurtfull and euill but the death of the godlie is life because they passe from transitory death to euerlasting life According to the saying of our Sauiour vnto the theefe This day shalte thou bee with mee in Paradise which happened into him because hee beleued according to the Prouerbe here That after his departure here he went to perfect rest attending for the glorious day Wherein he shoulde be blest 100 And heare to make an end I say the onely remedie In all extreames is for to keepe the perfect meane with thee Which if thou takest for thy friend a long and happie life Thou shalt be sure to leade and liue without offence or strife ARistotle in the seconde of his Ethickes sayeth that in all sciences the woorke is brought to perfection by hauing respect vnto the meane neither adding nor taking from it more then is reason meaning that the ouerplus and the defect doe marre the whole matter and that the meane doeth only saue and preserue it which suche as are skilfull maisters doe chiefly consider For seeing that vertue is the most certeine and best of all other artes and that hir woorke and actions differ not from the actions of nature it were greatly against reason that she should not as wel as al other arts serch and finde out the meane and further hee sayth that the vertue morall consisteth as well in passion as in action and that in all thinges that be there is an extremitie of too much and an extremitie of too little and a meane betwixt both As for example in feare in boldenesse in coueting in crueltie in pittie and of all thinges that concerne either pleasure or sorrowe the meane as Aristotle sayth is to be commended and the extreames doe alwaies bring shame and dishonour And like as it happeneth that to the perfection of any thing there are a great number of thinges required as likewise to make an imperfection suffiseth that anie one of those thinges be wanting euen so for a man to atteine vnto the very meane of vertue there are a great number of thinges required but to the not attaining therevnto suffiseth the want of anie suche thing as is needefull And hereof Aristotle putteth a verie familiar example of such as be Archers that to hitte the white is a matter of greate cunning and hardnesse and none is able to say that hee can doe it but hee that is a perfect Archer but to misse it is a very easie matter and euerie man that will can doe it So likewise is it of the vertuous meane for euerie man that list may auoyde it And therefore is the number a greate deale more of the wicked then of those that bee good neither doth it followe as Aristotle saieth that of euerie thing the meane is alwayes best For some things there are that assoone as they bee named they are mingled and wrapped in mischiefe As for example for a man to reioyce in an other mans harme not to be ashamed of anie euill that he hath committed to beare a repining spite at an other mans good happe to commit adultery to murder to steale of these things and such like there is no meane that may bee called vertuous For howsoeuer a man doe them they carrie with them mischiefe and offēce but in all other thinges that may bee well done euil done there are both extreames and a meane And of suche meaneth the Prouerbe where it sayth The onely remedie in all extreames is for to keepe the perfect meane with thee which if thou takest for thy friende that is if so be a man in the order of his life ioyne himselfe with vertue which is the meane A long happy life thou shalt be sure to leade and liue without offence and strife In what sorte we ought to seeke out this meane and how we ought to order our selues for the obteining of it Aristotle at large declareth in the seconde of his Ethickes whyther for auoyding of tediousnesse I referre the Reader FINIS The prince that is feared is neuer beloued Hard for a souldier in these daies to finde a Caesar Proude Princes hateful to God. Princes ought to bee gentle in their speeches Humilitie springeth of Nobilitie An euill prince maketh an euill Court. Gesters to be auoyded No proceeding against him that is absent A notable answere of a woman The skill of the souldier the only aduauncement of Rome The Romanes prefer the common profite before their own What made the Romanes to floorishe Learning to what end it ought to be sought The commoditie of learning The vanitie and miserie of this life The great good that commeth by reading the scriptures The diuersitie betwixt the learned and the ignorant The Prince not to be euill spoken of The duetie of a Iustice A good example A good Emperour The great modestie and magnanimitie of king Phillip Gluttonie prouoketh Lecherie The choise of a wife A right Spanish stomacke ⧠Imprinted at London by Richarde Watkins 1579.
thy desertes and make thee an example to all vnfaythfull varlets So that Archita chose rather to leaue the greate negligence and euill dealing of his Stewarde vnpunished then hastily and furiously to correct him in his wrath The same Valerius doeth also in the same booke tell vs that this Archita beeing extreeme angrie with one of his seruantes for a villaynous part that hee had played woulde not in anie wise punishe him himselfe but committed the punishment of him to Spensippus a friend of his to the ende that he not mooued with wrath shoulde vse measure and temperance in the corecting of him Seneca writeth also of the verie same Archita in his thirde Booke of Anger that being on a time greatly offended with one of his slaues hee caused him to bee stripped starke naked thinking to haue scourged him and as hee was readie to strike him hee plucked backe his hande and restrained himselfe wherewith a friend of his happening to come in and asking what the matter was I thought quoth hee to haue scourged this fellowe but feeling my selfe to bee in a rage I thought it no meete thing to punishe anie man in mine anger And this is the meaning of the Prouerbe where it sayeth That moderate Correction is good and free from blame And when it is out of measure deserues reproch and shame 28 The man that seekes to make amends â–ª refuse not to relieue Nor let it euer thee delight the wofull wretch to grieue A base and beastly minde it is to follow him that flies And valiant is it to assaile the tyrant that destroyes The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe the Marques sheweth how men ought to behaue themselues towards such as haue offended and are sorowfull for it For according to the saying of the Prophet God desireth not the death of a sinner but to haue him to turne and be saued And the chiefest lesson that olde Anchises as Virgil in the sixth book of his Eneados writeth did will his sonne to take heede vnto was to seeke in all his exploites to mainteine peace as much as he might to pardon such as were sorrowful for that they had done and to vse the swoorde against proude and disdainfull tyrants And to say true it is not the part of a man to persecute any man that is in miserie to followe him that flieth nor to striue with such as are weake and vnable And therefore Iob sayth vnto God Wilt thou shew thy power against a leafe that trembleth with the winde And persecute a straw that is drie and withered Meaning that it was not a thing beseeming the maiestie of God who was almightie to persecute so miserable a creature as he was And the Prouerbe sayeth That it is a point of manhood to assaile him that mindeth to doe mischiefe And to inuade with the sworde as Anchises sayeth to Enaeas the proude and contemptuous persons not suffring them to vse their tyrannous minde in doing of euil as the Ciuill lawe teacheth touching the duetie and behauiour of a Conquerour or gouernour that they ought to take such order in euerie Prouince that the wealthie the mightie oppresse not the poore the needie and that they hinder not such as go about to defende and chearish them And this is the verie meaning of the Prouerbe where it sayeth That it is the signe of a valiant minde to resist all such as seeke to doe wrong 29. It doth declare a noble minde for to forgiue a wrong And with a perfect pacience to forbeare and suffer long The mercie that with measure meetes is vertue great to praise Restorer of thy state with life and lengthner of thy dayes The Paraphrase AMong the rest of the vertues that Aristotle in the fourth Booke of his Ethickes speaketh of Magnanimitie or greatnesse of minde is one And the speciall grace of this vertue is that such as haue it can not bee touched with anie iniurie or reproche For if iniurie bee offered vnto them a noble minde maketh no accompt of it but rather disdaines him that offereth it as a vile and an vnwoorthie person Tullie writeth in his Booke of the vertues of Caesar that hee was of so greate a courage and so noble a hart that where hee was verie mindefull of all other thinges hee neuer would remember any iniurie doone vnto him And Saint Augustine in one of his Epistles saith that he that hath a greate minde and a noble and gentlemanly heart doeth not onely not beare in memorie an iniurie doone vnto him but also denieth that he receiued anie iniurie And Seneca in one of his Epistles sayth that if a man of a noble and valiant minde be at anie time iniured he ought to behaue himselfe as Plato did who when one had giuen him a blowe in the mouth neither sought for amendes nor laboured to reuenge but denied that anie iniurie was done vnto him The same Seneca in his booke of wrath telleth that the Atheniens hauing sent their Ambassadours to king Phillip the king after their message declared required of them to knowe what thing he might doe that might be most acceptable to the people of Athens Wherwith one churlishe knaue amongst them called Democritus stepped foorth and tolde him that the greatest pleasure that he coulde doe to the citie of Athens was to goe hang him selfe and when all the companie that stood by were greatly offended with this lewde answere and were about to haue torne him in pieces the king woulde by no meanes that they should hurt him but let him alone and sayd vnto the Ambassadours Goe tell your maisters of Athens that much more proude are they that doe vtter such woordes then those that heare them and not reuenge them neyther is there any other cause of this but the modest clemencie and vertue 30. What man is there aliue that may So great offender be But if that he be iudged by rules of loue and charitie His trespasse shall appeare such as May pardon well deserue For mercie is the shield that doeth The guiltie onely serue The Paraphrase SAint Isidorus saith Euill is that iustice that pardoneth not the frailtie of man And a little after Doe not desire to condemne but to correct and amende Beware of rigour in the executing of iustice and thinke of mercie in geuing of sentence And Saint Gregorie in his Pastorall sayeth That iustice without mercie and mercie without iustice are both vnperfect And therefore although a man haue offended and done amisse if he be not frowarde obstinate and without grace being iudged with loue and charitie his offence shall be founde tollerable and the seueritie of iustice beng tempred with pitie shall bring the offendour to repent and amende 31. I alwayes iudge him worthy prayse that pardoneth gratiously For mercie doubtlesse is to man a crowne of honour high On the other side I doe mislike the sworde with blood to stayne The stroke whereof vniustly dealt cannot be called agayne The Paraphrase TO forgeue and
shew mercie to such as offend we are stirred vp both by the lawe of nature the holie Scriptures and the gracious admonition of our Sauiour The lawe of nature doeth moue vs to bee mercifull as Seneca in his firste booke of Mercie writeth and hereof we haue a naturall example in the king of Bees whom nature hath framed without a sting hauing taken away his weapon to the ende hee shoulde be neither fierre nor cruell nor a reuenger of iniuries and that men might take examples of these little poore creatures The Scripture mooueth vs to mercie as it appeareth in the Epistle of Saint Iames where he saith that iudgement shal◠be geuen without mercie to such as shewe no mercie Our Sauiour exhorteth vs to mercie where hee saieth Blessed are all those that are mercifull for they shal obteine mercie The Prouerbe saith That the punishment of the sword is misliked for if it bee once done it is past all redresse And therefore Salust in the Conspiracie of Catiline sayeth that wee ough◠to trie euery way that may be before we come to the sworde euen as the Phisitions doe who vseth all the medicines that may be before they cut of the member And if so be that Princes may geue sufficient correction without the death of the offendour they ought to doe it For if it be once done it is to late to say I woulde it were not 32. I do not meane that lothsome crimes and hainous pardon craue Or that the wholsome lawes or good decrees restraint shoulde haue For such a man ought not to liue as murdereth wilfully True iustice alwaies doth commaund that he that killes shal die The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe are limited and interpreted the Prouerbes that goe before For such as ought to forgeue are either priuate persons or officers in the common wealth As they be priuat persons they are boūd to release the extremity but not the iniurie for they may require a recompence at the law But if they doe not their reward shal be the greater According to the saying of our Sauiour in his Gospel Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen And touching the examples that are in the prouerbs that goe before if they be officers and in authoritie they cannot pardon an offence that is doone against a common wealth nor trespasse that is done betwixt neighbours But they may vse a moderation and discretion according to the circumstances of the matter as if the partie grieued be a slaue or free born if he be a gentleman or a cōmon person if the offence were in words or vpō proposed malice or ignorātly not wilfully done if he murdered with poyson or with the swoord In such cases the Iudges and those that be in authoritie are woont to haue great consideration for he that killeth with poyson by treason or secretly his offence is more horrible thē his that killeth by chācemedlie And therefore it is prouided by the lawes of Spaine that if the Prince vppon speciall consideration doeth pardon a man that hath killed suche cases are alwayes excepted for hee that murdereth after anie of the aforesaide manners is not to be suffered nor pardoned and this is the effect of the Prouerbe 33. To pardon such a kinde of man were verie crueltie And quite contrary to the rule of all humanitie Nor name of pitie doeth deserue that suffers vilannie But is the ouerthrowe of lawes and all authoritie The Paraphrase THe meaning of this Prouerbe is declared in the Prouerbe that goeth before For it is a greate crueltie and contrarie to al humanitie to pardon such a one as murdereth by treason or villanously and it woulde be the decay and destruction of all iustice and authoritie For as S. Augustine in his booke Of the citie of God saith Iustice is of such an excellencie as the lewdest people that be cannot liue without it much lesse those that be good vertuous Likewise Saint Augustine as hath been alleaged before sayth Take iustice away and your kingdomes are nothing else but greate companies of theeues and therefore it is ordayned in the statutes of Spaine that if there be in anie Prouince or Countrie great numbers of euill disposed persons and if they happen to take one of them though the partie deserue not to die yet it shall bee lawfull for the Iustice to hang him for a terrour and example to the others And if he otherwise do it deserues not the name of pittie But of euill sufferance and the hinderance and ouerthrowe of lawes and authoritie The fifth Chapter of Temperance 34. As much as it deserueth praise with temperance to feed Which doth our mortall life sustaine and serueth for our need So much abhorred ought to be the greedy glutton great That thinkes there is no other life but for to drinke and eate The Paraphrase IN this Prouerbe and certaine others that followe the Marques sheweth the order that we ought to obserue in eaeating and drinking and these two being the chiefest sustainers of our life a man hath as much a doe as may bee to vse a moderation and temperance in them For as Aristotle in the second boke of his Ethicks saith These two do onely sustaine our mortall life and are alwayes desired as things of moste pleasure and because wee haue so great delight in them as the things wherewith wee haue been accustomed from our birth it is very hard and painefull to be restrained of them But those that exceede and obserue no measure therein are counted of Aristotle in the first of his Ethickes to liue like Dogges and to choose the life of monsters The same Aristotle in his Ethicks telleth vs of a great glutton that was called Philoxenus who put all his felicitie in eating and drinking and the earnest request that hee made to the Gods was that they would make his neck as long as a Cranes necke to the ende his delight might be the greater in the long goyng downe of his meate and his drinke For he tooke that for the chiefest pleasure that was 35 Great honour doth this temperance deserue at all assayes Sith it a vertue alwayes is of great and speciall praise For heate and furie great it doeth by honestie asswage And stayes the frantike flame that in the youthfull yeares doth rage The Paraphrase VVE do read that many haue greatly offended more by excesse in eating drinking then for any other offence For example sake let vs looke vppon our first Father Adam who for a gluttonous desire of eating brought both himselfe and al his posterity to destructiō Lot the brother to Abraham by too much drinking as it is writtē in Genesis shamed not to lye with two of his daughters And therfore is Temperance sobrietie worthie of greate honour being a vertue of greatest commēdation The maides of Rome that were appointed to attend vpon their Gods to the ende they shoulde be sober temperate did neuer eat more thē three meales in a weeke and